Meesei took a few moments to let the potion take effect, then took her spot opposite Hal-Neesa. This time, Neesa was the first to raise her ward, followed by Meesei. As before, both started with a constant stream of lightning to wear down one another's wards, but Neesa did not focus on offense from the beginning. Instead, she started off with a moderately powerful spell. It would take a while to drain her magicka reserves with it, so Meesei matched with a lightning spell just slightly stronger. She was able to use the power from Neesa's spell to help bolster her ward, so it did not weaken quickly. Unfortunately, Neesa's ward showed no signs of diminishing as well. 

"You know, I should thank you, Meesei. I do enjoy seeing Vinaremo publicly humbled. Sadly, he is skilled enough that there are few in my court who can match him in a duel, and I cannot be bothered to deal with him. Orskan-Tan seemed to get a laugh out of it." Neesa said loud enough to be heard over the sound of lightning impacting wards. Her tone almost seemed friendly, not that Meesei trusted it to be genuine. 

"If you do not like him, then why does he seem to be so important in your court" Meesei questioned. 

Neesa's ward still seemed as strong as it had ever been, while Meesei's flickered ever so slightly. Based on their appearances, it did not seem like Neesa had to concentrate near as much to maintain her ward. "Weren't you listening? I said he is skilled. He is a powerful servant; a useful tool. There are few in this place whom I actually [i]like[/i], apart from my husband and a few others. My court consists of those wise enough to recognize true power, who will serve myself and my husband faithfully, and without question. In return, they, over time, gain a portion of our strength by studying alongside us. We do not need to be [i]friends[/i] for that arrangement to bear fruit." 

"Well, I wish you all luck in that endeavor, but I prefer life with my pack." Meesei commented, refocusing her attention on her ward. Both of them were still maintaining a constant, moderately powerful stream of lightning, and neither of their wards seemed too close to faltering. Meesei's ward pulsed slightly, but was not far separated in strength from Neesa's. "It seems we are closely matched." Meesei observed. 

Neesa said nothing in response, and instead gave a worryingly confident grin. Suddenly, the output of Neesa's spell boosted exponentially, while her ward remained perfectly strong. The bolt of lightning she produced was strong enough to break Meesei's ward in an instant, loud enough to feel like it was shaking the room, yet concentrated enough not to harm anyone around them. Meesei was fortunate that it had not been directed into her body, as her heart surely would have stopped. 

While Neesa had won the duel, she was not yet finished. Reaching out her hand, she grabbed Meesei with a spell of telekinesis more powerful than any she had seen before, or even thought possible. Like something from tales of mages of eras past, Neesa was able to lift Meesei off the ground and pull her mere inches from her face. The force of the spell constricted Meesei's movement, as well as crushing her windpipe to the point that she could just barely breathe. Even the greatest of modern mages could not sustain such telekinetic force for more than an instant, yet Neesa seemed to be doing so with ease. It was abundantly clear that Neesa had merely been toying with her for the duration of the duel. 

"Not quite." Hal-Neesa remarked mockingly. With a simple motion of her hand, she tossed Meesei forcefully aside, slamming her into the nearest wall, then turned and calmly exited the room as if nothing had happened. Meesei fell to the ground with a bloody nose, completely out of breath. After a few seconds, Meesei brought her aching body up to her hands and knees and started gasping for air.